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SOSTOtK   *    L.    C.    "PAGE    & 
COMPANY    *    MCDCCCCX 


'•  'fiirst  Impression,  September,  1910 


r  (fcy.CA.  f^ru( 


E  le ctr  oty pe d  and  Printed  by 
THE  COLONIAL  PRESS 
C  H.  Si-monds  &  Co.,  Boston,   U.S  A. 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


The  two  young  people  took  a  mighty  in- 
terest in  one  another    (See    page    28) 

Frontispiece 

They    set    forth,    presently,    Harrison 

RIDING    A     HORSE     BESIDE     LADY     AlICIa's 
SEDAN  -  CHAIR  " 21 


"  He  took  up  a  pinch  with  clumsy  and  not 
over  -  clean  fingers  "        .... 

"  The  cowardly  villain  ran  him  through 

THE  BODY  " 

"  SO  THEY  WERE  MARRIED  " 


57 

74 


M  Clapped  his  hands  to  his  bloody  face, 

HOWLING    WITH    PAIN    AND    FRIGHT  " 


94 


Milt 785 


CHACPTE% 
OKE 


%^M 


HEY  were  tremendous 
times.  Governments 
were  going  to  pieces, 
and  kings  and  queens 
were  losing  their 
crowns,  and  sometimes  their  heads 
also;  the  many-headed  beast  was  giv- 
ing his  keepers  an  immense  amount  of 
trouble.  The  air  quivered  with  revo- 
lution, and  politics  was  a  warfare  of 
the  gods;  the  greatest  figures  in  the 
world's  history  were  on  the  stage,  and 
acting  mighty  parts.  England  was  on 
the  verge  of  anarchy,  and  highwaymen 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 

plied  their  trade  as  actively  on  the 
•;  streets  qf:  lLondon  as  on  lonely  country 
rpacls ;  the, hardest-working  man  in  the 
:  United.,  Kingdom  was  the  hangman, 
and  his  labors  were  in  vain  so  far  as 
increasing  the  safety  of  life  or  prop- 
erty was  the  object.  The  tide  of  re- 
ligious sentiment  had  reached  its  low- 
est ebb,  and  it  was  said  that  zeal  for 
godliness  would  look  as  oddly  upon 
a  man  as  the  clothing  of  his  great- 
grandfather. Sincere  men,  recoiling 
from  the  emptiness  of  ecclesiastical 
officialism,  became  sceptics  and  stoics; 
they  organized  hell-fire  clubs  and 
made  it  their  fashion  to  repress  every 
sign  of  human  interest  or  feeling,  pre- 
tending to  believe  in  nothing  but  them- 
selves, and  to  consider  themselves  as 
not  worth  believing  in.    Duels  were  of 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 


G 


daily  occurrence;  every  man  carried 
his  life  in  his  hand.  Yes,  they  were 
certainly  tremendous  times;  and  it 
was  during  the  maddest  stage  of  this 
terrific  period  that  Harrison  came 
from  Virginia  to  England  to  see  his 
son,  who  had  wintered  in  the  mother 
country;  and  so  it  came  about  that  for 
the  first  time  in  thirty  years  he  visited 
Wycherly  Castle,  his  birthplace  and 
the  ancestral  home  of  his  family. 

He  left  his  coach  to  wait  at  the  gate 
and  walked  in  through  the  grounds 
alone.  He  had  given  his  elder 
brother,  Lord  Wycherly,  no  intima- 
tion of  his  coming,  which  was  a  pro- 
ceeding quite  in  keeping  with  his  usual 
ways. 

Mr.  Gerald  Harrison,  tobacco 
planter  and  member  of  the  Congress 

3 


of  a  certain  very  small  but  very  pug- 
nacious and  self-respecting  republic, 
was  an  uncommonly  handsome  man  of 
fifty-two;  straight  as  an  arrow,  of 
powerful  build,  and  with  the  supple- 
ness and  activity  of  a  youth.  He  was 
faultlessly  dressed  in  the  fashion  of  the 
time,  from  the  silver  buckles  on  his 
shoes  to  the  crown  of  his  three-cor- 
nered hat.  Every  garment  that  he 
wore  was  a  triumph  of  the  tailor's  art; 
his  hair  was  freshly  powdered,  his 
cheek  was  smooth  and  rosy,  and  his  eye 
was  very  bright;  his  smile,  although  a 
trifle  cynical  and  scornful,  was  good  to 
see  withal.  He  scanned  the  castle  curi- 
ously as  he  drew  near  to  its  weather- 
beaten  front,  and  laughed  aloud. 

"  A  little  dirtier  and  more  ruinous 
without,"  said  he,  "  and  I  doubt  not,  a 

4 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 


little  draughtier  and  chillier  within. 
Gad,  what  a  place  to  pass  away  one's 
life  in;  I  would  rather  live  in  jail! 
Thank  the  kind  fates  for  making  me 
the  younger  son! " 

He  drew  a  handsome  box  from  his 
pocket  and  took  snuff,  using  great  care 
lest  any  should  fall  upon  his  spotless 
waistcoat,  or  on  the  ruffled  bosom  of 
his  shirt;  and  then  he  walked  up  the 
steps  and  plied  the  great  iron  knocker 
lustily. 

"  Tell  Lord  Wycherly,"  said  he  to 
the  liveried  footman  who  opened  the 
door,  "  that  his  brother  waits." 

The  man  gasped  with  astonishment, 
then  showed  him  into  a  room  and  went 
away;  presently  he  came  back  and 
bade  him  follow.  In  a  great  upper 
chamber    he    found    Lord   Wycherly, 


t 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 

who  arose  and  came  across  the  room  to 
greet  him;  and  though  they  were  the 
only  children  of  their  father,  and  had 
not  looked  into  each  other's  faces  for 
thirty  years,  they  shook  hands  as  calmly 
as  if  they  had  parted  but  the  day  be- 
fore. After  the  fashion  of  the  cynical 
cult  to  which  they  both  belonged,  it 
was  their  pride  to  show  neither  feeling 
or  affection ;  neither  of  the  pair  would, 
under  any  consideration,  have  betrayed 
emotion  in  greeting  the  other,  espe- 
cially in  the  presence  of  the  footman, 
who  was  just  leaving  the  room.  Lord 
Wycherly  was  two  years  the  elder,  but, 
though  very  like  his  younger  brother, 
he  showed  his  age  far  more;  his  face 
was  wrinkled  and  careworn. 

"  Time  has  used  you  well,  Gerald," 
he   said,    admiringly,    after   they   had 


talked  awhile.  "  Egad,  you  look  but 
little  older  than  your  son.  A  fine  boy 
that;   you  should  be  proud  of  him." 

"  I  should  be  proud  to  remember  his 
mother,  rather,"  said  Harrison,  "  for 
his  bringing-up  was  more  her  work 
than  mine.  And  I  believe  he  is  a  pas- 
sable young  fellow." 

"  He  is  like  you,  and  yet  not  like 
you,"  said  Lord  Wycherly.  "  He  has 
little  of  the  dare-devil  disposition  you 
showed  at  his  age;  and  which,  if  half 
we  hear  is  to  be  credited,  you  have  not 
entirely  outgrown.  Some  strange 
stories  have  come  to  London  of  the 
doings  of  a  Virginia  planter  whom 
they  call  Hell-fire  Harrison."  He 
shot  a  single  keen  glance  at  his 
brother's  smiling  face. 

"  The  name  comes  from  a  time  some 

7 


£ 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 


years  back,"  said  Harrison  calmly, 
"  when  a  few  of  us  heard  that  Hell- 
fire  clubs  were  the  fashion  over  here, 
and  we  must  needs  organize  one.  I 
was  active  in  it,  and  the  more  strait- 
laced  of  our  godly  neighbors  gave  the 
name  to  me;  and  it  has  clung." 

"  I  can  readily  believe  that  it  has," 
said  Wycherly  grimly,  "  and  that  it  has 
not,  in  all  ways,  been  amiss.  Yours  has 
been  the  easiest  lot,  after  all,  Gerald; 
you  have  had  the  best  of  me.  New 
soil,  new  people,  new  methods,  and 
liberty  to  take  your  own  way;  while  I 
have  had  to  uphold  the  family  name 
on  these  exhausted  acres,  so  hampered 
by  silly  traditions  that  I  dare  not  leave 
the  old  rut,  or  change  the  antiquated 
system  in  any  part.  Richard  tells  me 
that  your  plantation  brings  you  more 

8 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 


I 

i 


than  all  my  rent-rolls  bring  to  me,  and 
you  can  do  what  I  have  never  done; 
live  as  you  please!  Well,  we  could  not 
both  have  the  luck  to  be  younger  sons, 
but  if  'twas  to  be  done  over,  I  should 
try  to  wait  and  let  you  make  your  ad- 
vent first.  I  see  you  still  wear  the  old 
sword.     Let  me  look  at  it  again?  " 

Harrison  drew  his  sword,  and  gave 
it  to  his  brother,  without  speaking; 
and  the  other  inspected  it  with  a  curi- 
ous smile,  making  the  flexible  blade 
whistle  through  the  air  with  a  dex- 
trous movement  of  his  wrist.  The 
weapon  was  a  rapier,  of  unusual,  and 
evidently  of  Oriental  design,  some- 
what heavier  than  the  dress  swords 
generally  worn  by  gentlemen  in  those 
days,  double-edged  for  a  little  distance 
back  from  the  point,  and  sharp  as  a 


f 


razor;  a  tool  made  for  service,  not  for 
show. 

"  Our  father  loved  it,"  said  Wych- 
erly  quietly,  "  because  of  the  family 
traditions  attached  to  it.  I  hardly  know 
whether  he  was  most  pleased  or  sorry 
when  you  asked  for  it  on  going  away. 
But  it  was  yours  by  right;  your  equal 
in  handling  it  never  lived.  Has  your 
hand  lost  any  of  its  juggler's  cunning 
with  the  sword?  " 

Harrison  took  the  weapon  without 
answering,  and  stepped  toward  the 
great  window,  formed  of  many  small 
panes  of  glass.  On  one  of  these,  at 
about  the  level  of  his  face,  a  blue-bottle 
fly  was  slowly  crawling;  he  indicated 
it  to  his  brother  by  a  gesture.  Then  he 
held  the  sword  at  half  arm's  length  be- 
fore   him,    with    the    blade    pointing 


10 


1 


straight  upward,  and  with  a  slight  but 
powerful  movement  of  the  wrist, 
caused  it  to  bend  forward  with  a  hiss- 
ing sweep.  The  keen  point  flicked  the 
fly  from  the  pane  without  a  sound  to 
show  that  the  glass  had  been  touched. 
Harrison  sheathed  his  sword  and  sat 
down,  and  the  brothers  took  snufl, 
smiling  at  each  other;  for  an  instant 
the  bars  of  their  cynical  pretence  were 
down,  and  they  looked  into  each 
other's  hearts;  but  only  for  an  instant. 

"  I  remember  well,"  said  the  elder, 
"  the  night  you  cut  the  French  Count's 
nose  in  half  with  that  same  stroke." 

They  talked  on  for  some  time, 
exchanging  reminiscences  of  their 
younger  days,  and  then  Harrison 
said: 

"  I  saw  your  coach  made  ready  as  I 


came  up  the  drive ;  were  you  about  to 
go  away?  " 

"  I  was  for  London ;  the  house  sits 
to-night.  But  now  that  you  are 
here  —  " 

"  You  will  go  right  on,  Richard. 
My  own  coach  waits  at  the  gate.  I 
am  going  on  to  Farnham  to  see  Alicia." 

"Hah,"  said  Lord  Wycherly. 
"  Yes.  Alicia  will  be  glad  to  see  you, 
Gerald.  She  lives  alone  with  her  serv- 
ants at  Farnham  Court;  and  you  will 
find  that  she  shows  her  years  even 
more  than  I  show  mine.  After  her 
husband  died  she  fixed  her  whole  heart 
on  her  son ;  and  he  grew  up  a  fine  fel- 
low, very  like  your  boy.  But  he  was 
killed,  unfortunately,  in  his  first  duel. 
Yes,  go  and  see  her;  she  always  liked 
you.     I  remember  that  we  thought  at 


one  time  you  were  going  to  make  a 
match  of  it." 

She  never  thought  so,"  said  Har- 
rison smiling,  "  nor  did  I.  We  were 
only  the  best  of  friends.  Yes,  I  think 
she  would  be  pleased  to  see  me,  and  I 
need  not  keep  you  from  your  seat 
among  the  lords;  I  know  there  are 
great  matters  pending.  I  will  go  on  to 
Farnham,  and  we  will  meet  later." 

And  presently  the  brothers  parted  at 
the  door,  with  a  farewell  pinch  of 
snuff,  a  few  courteous  phrases,  and  an 
air  of  calm  indifference. 


f 


WAS  never  so 
pleased,"  said  Lady 
Alicia,  "  to  see  any 
person  in  all  my 
life,  as  I  am  this 
day  to  see  you." 

She  sat  in  the  pleasant  drawing- 
room  at  Farnham  Court,  and  Har- 
rison, bright-eyed  and  smiling,  sat 
across  from  her. 

"  I  take  that  to  mean,"  said  he,  "  that 
I  am  better  worth  seeing  —  " 

"Don't  flatter  yourself!     It  is  be- 
cause I  have  need  of  you;  you  come  in 
u 


fL~£ 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 


the  very  nick  of  time.  But  of  that  we 
will  speak  later.  And  yes,  my  friend, 
I  am  glad  to  see  you  for  your  own 
sake ;  to  see  how  fresh  and  young  you 
look,  although  you  make  me  sense  my 
wrinkles  and  sunken  cheeks  more 
keenly.  Do  not  interrupt  me;  you 
know  'tis  so.  Women  grow  old  faster 
than  men  in  these  times,  for  we  must  sit 
at  home  with  our  sorrows  and  let  them 
eat  out  our  hearts,  while  you  forget 
yours  in  battle  and  diplomacy.  Well, 
never  mind.  I  was  delighted  with 
your  son,  Gerald,  when  I  met 
him  during  the  one  week  I  spent  in 
London  last  winter;  a  right  noble 
youth." 

"  As  of  course  he  must  be,  with  my 
example  —  " 

"  Chut,  chut!  If  he  does  well,  it  is 
15 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 


i( 


in  spite  of  your  example,  and  not  be- 
cause of  it.  And  he  is  a  splendid  young 
fellow ;  even  in  these  days  of  loose  liv- 
ing, he  has  no  bad  habits." 

"  One,"  said  Harrison.  "  He  will 
go  to  church." 

"  Why,  so  I  heard,"  said  she,  "  and 
I  rejoiced  that  you  had  not  been  able 
to  make  him  into  a  case-hardened, 
sneering  cynic,  like  Wycherly  and  the 
rest  of  you.  His  mother  must  have 
been  a  rare  woman,  Gerald." 

"  She  was,  Alicia,"  he  answered. 
The  change  in  his  tone  was  very,  very 
slight,  but  she  noticed  it  and  under- 
stood; and  she  changed  the  subject  in- 
stantly. 

"  Now,  as  to  the  matter  I  mentioned 
awhile  ago,"  said  she.  "  Gerald,  do 
you  remember  Andrew  Hogg?  " 

16 


"  Ay;  very  well  indeed." 

"  And  do  you,  by  any  chance,  re- 
member his  son?  " 

"  A  dark-faced  little  boy,  when  I 
left  England?" 

"Yes!  Dark-faced  and  sullen,  like 
his  father,  and  with  a  worse  temper, 
even  then." 

"I  remember;  I  cuffed  him,  once, 
for  torturing  a  helpless  kitten.  And 
has  he  grown  up  to  fulfill  the  brilliant 
promise  of  his  childhood?" 

"  He  is  a  very  devil!  Drunken, 
brutal,  licentious,  fearing  neither  God 
nor  man.  He  lives  at  Hackthorn  Hall 
with  three  ruffians  he  brought  with 
him  from  the  wars,  who  are  well 
dubbed  the  bloody  three;  renegade 
fighting  men.  He  keeps  no  other 
servants  than  these  three;  they  are  all 
17 


^' 


HELL- FIRE     HARRISON 

good  swordsmen,  and  more  than  one 
life  has  been  lost  hereabout  by  incur- 
ring their  ill-will.  Andrew  is  nearing 
forty  now;  and  as  he  grows  older  he 
grows  worse  in  every  way.  The  coun- 
try people  call  him  '  The  Black  Hogg.' 
He  and  his  men  are  often  away  for 
long  periods ;  'tis  thought  that  they  go 
far  from  home  and  play  the  highway- 
man. When  they  are  here,  they  spend 
their  days  in  sleeping,  and  their  nights 
in  roistering  at  the  hall,  or  at  the  Blue 
Goose  Inn,  in  Farnham  village.  The 
whole  county  is  afraid  of  Andrew 
Hogg." 

"  And  what,  Alicia,"  said  Harrison, 
as  she  paused,  "  have  I  to  do  with  this 
merry  gentleman?  " 

"  Do  you  remember  Janet  Ainslie?  " 
"  Oh,  right  well!    Gad,  but  she  had 

18 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 

spirit!  She  married  Billy  Chester,  so 
they  wrote  me." 

"  Sir  William  Chester;  and  he  died 
when  their  child,  little  Mary,  was  ten 
years  old.  Then,  after  three  more 
years,  Janet,  being  homeless  and  de- 
pendent, and  very  proud,  married  a 
squire  of  this  neighborhood,  Sladden 
by  name;  and  shortly  afterward  she 
also  died,  leaving  him  to  rear  the  child. 
Sladden  was  a  somewhat  dull  and  stub- 
born man,  and  he  has  grown  duller  and 
more  stubborn  with  the  passing  of  the 
years,  but  under  his  care  Mary  has 
grown  to  be  the  fairest  girl  in  all  Eng- 
land, and  '  The  Black  Hogg '  has  set 
his  mind  on  marrying  her." 

"Well?" 

"Well?     It  is  not  well.     Sladden 

favors    Andrew    Hogg    with    all    his 

19 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 


stupid  strength,  and  they  have  sworn, 
together,  that  the  marriage  shall  take 
place  before  the  end  of  June,  and  'tis 
near  the  middle  of  May." 

"  But,  Alicia,  surely  there  is  little 
harm  in  a  maid's  being  married  against 
her  will?  Why,  she  is  not  supposed 
to  have  a  will  afterward,  in  any 
case!  " 

"  Not  the  least  harm  in  the  world," 
said  Lady  Alicia,  calmly. 

"  Even  if  she  does  not  love  him," 
Harrison  went  on,  "  she  will  undoubt- 
edly come  to  do  so,  if  he  flogs  her  fre- 
quently enough?  " 

"  And  he  will  certainly  do  that," 
agreed  the  lady. 

Harrison  took  snufT,  regarding  her 
with  his  bright  eyes,  and  his  most 
cynical  smile. 


E 


■^— n^ 


L 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 

"  Oh,  hang  it,  Alicia,"  said  he, 
"  what  do  you  wish  me  to  do?  " 

"  Why,  sir,"  said  she,  knowing  her 
man  perfectly,  "  but  you  are  conceited! 
I  have  not  asked  that  you  shall  do  any- 
thing. What  can  you,  a  single  man, 
do  against  Hogg  and  his  bloody  three? 
I  have  merely  given  you  a  bit  of  neigh- 
borhood gossip,  so  that  you  might  un- 
derstand the  situation  and  guard  your 
tongue;  for  I  am,  going  to  call  on 
Mary  this  afternoon,  and  you  shall 
ride  along  to  protect  me  on  the  high- 
way. It  was  for  that  I  said  I  needed 
you.  The  roads  are  not  safe  for  a 
woman  with  no  protection  but  a  couple 
of  footmen.  While  you  are  here,  I 
may  go  a-visiting." 

"  Humph,"  said  Harrison. 

So  they  set  forth  presently,  Harrison 

21 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 


riding  a  horse  beside  Lady  Alicia's 
sedan-chair,  and  they  passed  the  gates 
of  Hackthorn  Hall  before  they  came 
to  Sladden's  farm,  which  was  a  little 
further  on.  When  the  Virginian  was 
introduced  to  Mary  Chester  he  drew 
one  quick  breath  of  astonishment,  and 
owned  to  himself  that  Lady  Alicia  had 
told  the  truth  when  she  called  her  the 
fairest  girl  in  all  England.  He  talked 
with  her  for  an  hour,  and  found  that 
she  had  a  pleasant  wit,  and  that  she 
lacked  not  for  a  double  portion  of  her 
mother's  spirit. 

"  I  have  come  to  England,"  he  told 
her  as  he  was  leaving,  "  seeking  a  wife. 
Are  you  ready  to  receive  proposals?" 

"  Oh,  surely,  sir,"  said  she.  "  What 
maid  is  not?  " 

"  I  do  not  seek  for  myself,"  he  went 


22 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 


on,  "  but  for  my  son ;  and  I  have  taken 
a  mighty  fancy  that  I  should  like  you 
for  a  daughter-in-law." 

"  Thank  you,  sir!  But  is  your  son  to 
have  no  voice  in  the  matter?  " 

"  He  is  a  very  bashful  youth.  But 
he  is  coming  down  from  London  in  a 
day  or  so,  and  he  shall  fall  in  love  with 
you." 

"Ah!  And  can  you  make  him  do 
that,  sir?  " 

"  If  he  is  so  stupid  as  not  to  do  it,  I 
will  flog  him  till  he  does." 

"  Oh,  poor  young  man!  What  a 
dreadful  alternative!" 

"  And  if  you  do  not  fall  in  love  with 
him,"  Harrison  went  on,  "  I  will  pull 
your  ears." 

"My  precious  ears!  I'll  not  let 
them  come  to  harm,  sir.  I  think  I  love 
23 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 


your  son  a  little  already.  And  does  he 
take  his  bashfulness  from  his  father, 
sir?  " 

"  I  think  so." 

"  I  think  so  too ;  for  if  you  ever  had 
any,  some  one  has  taken  it." 

So  they  bade  each  other  a  laughing 
farewell,  and  Harrison  rode  away  be- 
side the  sedan-chair.  Once  out  on  the 
highway,  they  saw  coming  toward 
them  a  strange  looking  fellow,  whose 
spine  seemed  afflicted  about  the  hips. 
He  wavered  from  side  to  side  as  he 
walked,  and  flourished  his  arms  as  if 
he  found  it  hard  to  keep  his  balance. 
Lady  Alicia  stopped  her  bearers  and 
Harrison  at  sight  of  him. 

"  See,  Gerald,"  said  she,  "  yonder 
comes  Dicky  Dirk.  When  he  was 
born  his  mother  was  a  servant  at  Hack- 
24 


t 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 


tf 


5> 


thorn  Hall;  it  was  during  the  old 
Hogg's  time.  Young  Andrew  had  a 
petty  spite  against  this  woman,  and  one 
day  he  snatched  the  babe  from  her 
breast  and  dashed  it  on  the  floor.  Still 
he  held  his  grudge  against  her,  and  a 
few  months  later,  in  a  drunken  rage, 
he  killed  her  husband,  and  she  died  of 
a  broken  heart.  The  boy  grew  up  to 
walk  as  you  see  him;  strangely  crip- 
pled about  the  hips,  and  yet  he  is  said 
to  be  as  strong  as  a  very  giant  in  the 
arms  and  shoulders.  He  carries  a 
great  knife,  and  so  got  the  name  of 
Dick  o'  the  dirk,  now  shortened  to 
Dicky  Dirk.  He  lives,  the  Lord  knows 
how,  mostly  by  doing  odd  jobs  for  the 
country  people,  and  he  rarely  speaks, 
even  when  spoken  to.  Dicky,  this  is 
Mr.  Harrison,  of  Virginia." 
25 


1 


m 


"  Give  'ee  good  day,  zur,"  said 
Dicky,  wavering  past  them,  and  look- 
ing neither  to  right  nor  left. 

"  Good  day,  Dicky,"  said  Harrison, 
riding  on;  and  he  performed  the  dif- 
ficult feat  of  taking  snuff  on  horseback, 
with  more  than  his  usual  carefulness. 
Lady  Alicia  watched  him  closely,  but 
in  silence. 

"  Alicia,"  said  he,  after  a  while, 
"  this  Hogg  of  yours  seems  to  be  a  rare 
soul." 

"  Why,  so  he  is ;  and  I  have  told  you 
only  a  few  of  his  pleasant  eccentrici- 
ties." 

"  I  think  I  will  stay  in  the  neighbor- 
hood for  a  while;  I  was  always  fond 
of  Farnham.  And  to  prevent  scandal, 
I  will  take  quarters  at  the  Blue  Goose 

Inn." 

26 


4" 
\ 


He  beamed  upon  her  with  his  most 
pleasant  smile,  but  she  shuddered  and 
grew  cold,  even  as  she  felt  that  her 
point  was  gained,  for  the  thought 
came  to  her  that  she  had  caused  sen- 
tence of  death  to  be  passed  on  Andrew 
Hogg.    Harrison  went  on  quietly: 

"  I  will  write  Richard,  and  have  him 
down  to  stay  with  me.  Get  up  a  party 
of  some  sort  for  next  week,  Alicia,  and 
invite  Mary  Chester.  I  will  bring  the 
boy,  and  we  will  trust  in  the  Lord,  who 
does  all  things  well  —  with  proper 
management  on  our  part." 

"  Don't  scoff,"  said  Lady  Alicia,  "  I 
will  give  the  party  on  Wednesday." 


O  young  Richard  Har- 
rison   first    met    Mary 
Chester      at      Lady 
Alicia's  party,  and,  be- 
cause    their     curiosity 
had  been  artfully  aroused  beforehand, 
the  two  young  people  took  a  mighty 
interest  in  one  another. 

"  I've  heard  much  of  you,  sir,"  said 
she,  as  they  sat  together. 

"  We  famous  men  are  always  being 
talked  about,"  said  he.  "  And  I  have 
heard  much  of  you,  sweet  Mistress 
Chester." 


I 


¥ 


"  We  famous  ladies  are  always  being 
talked  about,"  said  she. 

"  Famous  indeed,"  he  answered. 
"  Lady  Alicia  told  me  that  you  were 
the  fairest  girl  in  England;  I  was  a 
little  doubtful  at  the  time,  but  I  will 
swear  now  that  she  might  have  in- 
cluded Scotland,  Wales  and  the  Con- 
tinent." 

"  Why  not  America  also?"  she 
asked.  "  But  no  doubt  you  have  left 
some  one  there  who  is  fairer  than  I." 

"  In  America,"  he  replied,  "  most  of 
the  good  looks  are  given  to  the  men, 
as  you  may  have  noticed." 

"  Why,  so  I  had,"  said  she,  "  and  yet 

the  men   are  not  conceited,   which   is 

very  strange.     But  I  must  believe  all 

you  say,  for  your  father  told  me  that 

you  were  a  most  proper  youth." 
29 


"  I  respect  my  father  too  highly  to 
question  anything  he  says,"  said  the 
young  man. 

"  He  told  me,"  she  went  on,  dar- 
ingly, "  that  if  you  did  not  fall  in  love 
with  me  you  should  be  flogged." 

"  I  never  wilfully  gave  him  cause  to 
flog  me,"  said  he,  "  and  I  shall  not  do 
so  now." 

"  And  he  said,"  Mary  continued, 
"  that  if  I  did  not  fall  in  love  with  you 
he  would  pull  my  ears." 

"  Such  beautiful  ears  shall  never  be 
pulled;  I  shall  see  to  it  that  you  fall 
in  love  with  me." 

Most  of  that  evening  they  were  to- 
gether, and  in  a  day  or  so  he  called  at 
Sladden's  farm;  and  from  that  time 
on  it  was  evident  that  they  were  in 
truth  falling  very  deeply  into  love  with 
30 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 

each  other.  Young  Richard  rode  to 
Sladden's  every  day,  for  he  was  no 
slack  wooer;  and  Lady  Alicia  looked 
on,  trembling  for  what  might  come  to 
pass,  but  with  a  thankful  heart;  Har- 
rison looked  on,  bright  eyed  and  smi- 
ling, and  was  always  near  at  hand 
when  the  boy  passed  Hackthorn  Hall; 
Dicky  Dirk,  hiding  in  the  bushes  or 
lurching  along  the  road,  looked  on, 
muttering  to  himself;  and  Andrew 
Hogg  looked  on,  cursing.  Presently 
he  summoned  Sladden  to  a  confer- 
ence, and  the  latter,  a  square-built, 
square-jawed,  square-headed  man 
of  sixty,  took  his  stepdaughter  to 
task. 

"  What  do  you  mean,  you  hussy,"  he 
demanded,  "  by  letting  this  young  cock- 
erel come  upon  the  place?    Dost  want 
31 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 


to  see  me  pitch  him  out  upon  the  high- 
way? " 

Now,  though  Mistress  Mary  had 
received  but  little  kindness  from  her 
stepfather,  she  had  never  treated  him 
with  disrespect,  or  disobeyed  him  un- 
til he  began  trying  to  make  her  accept 
the  love  of  Andrew  Hogg,  but  upon 
that  issue  she  was  in  open  war  with 
him. 

"  Yes,  sir,"  said  she  with  a  curtsey. 
"  I  think  I  should  much  enjoy  looking 
on  while  you  undertook  to  pitch  Mas- 
ter Harrison  into  the  highway." 

"  His  father's  a  dirty  rebel,"  said 
Sladden. 

"  But  for  your  life,  you  dare  not  say 
so  to  his  face,"  said  she. 

"  If  you  were  my  own  daughter," 
he  growled,  "  full-grown  as  you  are, 
32 


I  would  whip  you  till  you  took  up 
with  Squire  Hogg." 

"  If  I  were  your  daughter,"  she  said 
with  her  head  held  very  high,  "  no 
doubt  but  I  would  be  willing  to  marry 
Squire  Hogg;  but  my  father  was  a 
gentleman." 

"  I  shall  forbid  that  whelp  to  come 
on  the  farm,"  shouted  Sladden  in  a 
passion. 

"  And  he'll  come,  none  the  less," 
said  Mary. 

Sladden  did  not  forbid  Richard  the 
place,  but  when,  on  the  next  day, 
Mary  told  the  young  man  what  had 
happened,  he  urged  her  to  marry  him 
at  once,  and  she  refused. 

"  We  have  known  each  other 
scarcely  three  weeks,"  she  said,  "  and 
if  we  wed  now,  people  will  say  'twas 


f 

f 

1 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 

but  the  fear  of  Andrew  Hogg  drove 
me  to  you.  Sir,  I  wish  to  be  courted 
with  all  due  pomp  and  circumstance. 
I  sometimes  think  I  like  you  very  well, 
but  again  I  am  not  sure  of  it,  nor  am 
I  certain  that  you  love  me.  Make  me 
sure  of  both,  and  I  will  marry  you,  but 
I  will  not  be  driven  to  do  so  by  Slad- 
den  and  the  black  Hogg." 

"  By  Heaven,  they  shall  not  hurry 
you!  "  said  Richard,  looking  very  like 
his  father.  "  Take  your  time,  sweet 
mistress,  for  all  of  them.  But  I  will 
not  say  that  I  shall  not  hurry  you  my- 
self; for  I  am  asking  you  to  marry  me 
because  I  love  you.  I  am  as  sure  of 
that  as  if  I  had  known  you  all  my  life. 
And  love  me  you  shall,  and  marry  me 
you  shall,  and  I  am  coming  to  see  you 
every  day,  Hogg  or  no  Hogg,  Sladden 

34 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 


or  no  Sladden,  until  you  say  yes  to 


1^/j 


me. 


And  so  he  did,  riding  into  the  farm- 
yard every  day,  tossing  his  bridle  rein 
and  a  coin  to  the  stable  boy,  and  re- 
ceiving Sladden's  sour  look  with  a 
high  head  and  a  careless  smile.  But 
Hell-fire  Harrison,  having  been  told 
all,  redoubled  his  watchfulness,  for  he 
knew  that  the  crisis  was  at  hand. 

And  it  was;  for  sitting  over  their 
liquor  at  Hackthorn  Hall,  Hogg  and 
the  bloody  three  were  taking  counsel 
as  to  the  safest  way  of  killing  Richard. 

"  Meet  the  cub  on  the  road,  and  run 
him  through,"  said  Trainor,  the  most 
reckless  of  the  four,  and  the  best 
swordsman. 

"Ay;  but  his  father  is  always  with 
him,  or  close  at  hand,"  said  Hogg. 
35 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 


"  And  they  say  he  is  the  best  swords- 
man in  England.  Some  of  us  will  lose 
blood  if  we  try  that,  and  why  run 
needless  risk?  Here  is  a  better  plan: 
When  the  young  whelp  is  safe  at  Slad- 
den's  to-morrow,  Harrison  will  ride 
back  to  the  Blue  Goose  Inn  to  wait 
until  nearly  sunset;  then  he  will  come 
out  to  meet  the  boy  and  convoy  him 
home.  Now,  an  hour  before  sundown, 
let  Trainor  go  to  the  Inn  and  get  into 
conversation  with  this  rebel.  Drink 
with  him,  if  he  will,  and  fall  to  argu- 
ing if  he  will  not;  quarrel,  but  do  not 
come  to  blows.  Carry  it  off  in  such 
a  way  that  if  he  leaves  'twill  appear  to 
the  bystanders  that  he  is  afraid,  but  do 
not  cross  swords,  or  he  will  do  for 
you."  Trainor  sniffed  doubtfully,  but 
Hogg  went  on,  "  Keep  him  there  until 
36 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 


\ 


after  sunset,  and  then  get  away;  apol- 
ogize and  eat  humble  pie  if  you  must; 
you  shall  give  it  back  to  him  later. 
Meanwhile  we  three  will  settle  the 
young  popinjay,  and  if  the  old  one 
attacks  us  here,  later,  we  will  meet 
him  at  the  door  with  our  pistols,  and 
give  him  no  chance  to  come  to  close 
quarters.    Will  that  do?  " 

The  others  accepted  the  plan,  and  so 
on  the  following  afternoon,  as  the  sun 
was  getting  low,  Trainor  set  off  for  the 
Blue  Goose  Inn,  and  shortly  after,  the 
other  three  rode  out  upon  the  high- 
way, and  took  their  stand  beneath  a 
clump  of  trees  to  wait  for  Richard. 


RAINOR  found  the  el- 
der Harrison  sitting  by 
a  table,  in  the  tap-room 
of  the  inn,  with  a  bot- 
tle of  wine  at  his  el- 
bow. Sitting  down,  the  ruffian  pushed 
the  table  so  roughly  that  the  bottle  was 
upset.  Harrison,  who  instantly  com- 
prehended the  whole  plan,  rose  to  his 
feet  and  drew  his  sword. 

"Draw!"     said     he     to     Trainor. 

"  You  seek  to  provoke  a  quarrel,  but  I 

bandy  no  words  with  a  scoundrel  of 

your  kidney.    Draw,  or  by  Heaven,  I 

38 


H 


will  run  you  through,  where  you 
sit!" 

"Would  you  murder  me?  "blus- 
tered the  fellow,  as  half  willing,  half 
afraid,  he  slowly  rose  and  drew  his 
weapon. 

"No;  but  I  will  find  out  whether 
you  are  the  swordsman  you  are  said  to 
be.    On  guard! " 

They  crossed  blades,  and  after  a  few 
passes  had  been  exchanged,  Harrison's 
smile  grew  more  contemptuous. 

"  I  see  that  you  cannot  fence,"  said 
he,  "  and  so  we  may  as  well  make  a 
finish  of  it.  Look  out,  now;  I  am 
going  to  slice  your  nose  across  the  mid- 
dle, and  cut  the  sign  of  the  cross  on 
your  left  cheek."  And,  with  three 
lightning  strokes  of  his  razor-edged 
sword,  he  carried  out  his  threat. 

39 


"You  are  the  devil!"  cried  the 
bully,  staggering  backward  as  he 
wiped  the  blood  from  his  face.  "  I 
will  not  fight  you  more!  " 

"  You  are  easily  satisfied,  my 
friend,"  said  Harrison,  wiping  his 
sword  carefully  and  sheathing  it,  and 
then  he  took  snuff,  smiling,  while  the 
innkeeper  hurried  the  wounded  ruffian 
away  to  the  village  leech. 

So,  half  an  hour  later,  when  Hogg 
and  his  two  remaining  scoundrels  saw 
Richard  coming  in  the  distance,  it 
happened  that  they  also  heard  the 
hoofbeats  of  a  horse  coming  from  the 
opposite  direction,  and  turning,  saw 
Harrison,  who  rode  past  them  with  a 
courteous  salute.  Joining  his  son  a 
little  way  down  the  road,  he  turned 
about,  and  the  two  came  on  together. 
40 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 

Hogg  and  his  friends  perceived  that 
Trainor  had  failed  in  his  mission,  but 
they  did  not  guess  how  grievously,  and 
they  were  puzzled  as  to  what  to  do. 
They  discussed  the  situation  hurriedly 
for  a  few  minutes,  and  then  Andrew 
burst  out  with  a  great  oath,  declaring 
that  the  whole  matter  should  be  settled 
then  and  there.  They  took  their  stand 
in  the  centre  of  the  highway,  facing 
the  Harrisons,  who  were  coming  in  a 
walk,  chatting  carelessly  together. 

Andrew  Hogg  was  a  powerful  man, 
more  than  six  feet  tall  and  very  mus- 
cular; his  swarthy  face  was  bloated 
and  swollen  by  hard  drinking,  and  he 
wore  his  long  hair  unpowdered  and 
badly  combed,  while  his  dress  was 
slovenly.  But  he  did  not  lack  for 
brute  courage,  nor  did  either  of  his 
41 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 


two  companions,  who  were  like  him 
in  a  general  way.  They  were  all  good 
swordsmen,  and  fighters  of  experience, 
and  they  awaited  with  confidence  the 
coming  of  the  Virginian  and  his  son, 
who  now  rode  up  and  drew  rein,  see- 
ing that  the  way  was  blocked. 

"  Good  evening,  gentlemen,"  said 
Harrison.  "  What  would  you  have  of 
us?" 

"  A  pinch  of  snuff!  "  growled  Hogg, 
expecting  a  refusal. 

Harrison  drew  his  handsomely  en- 
graved snufT-box  from  his  pocket,  and 
riding  close  to  Hogg,  presented  it, 
open,  with  a  courtly  gesture,  and  the 
other,  who  did  not  use  snuff  was  so 
confused  and  taken  aback  that  he  took 
up  a  pinch  with  clumsy  and  not  over- 
clean  fingers.  Harrison  instantly  tossed 


t 
i 


VV  Willie  4 
"i(dl  fire  Kwn 


V^e  Look  up  a  p. nek) 
yj«(l)  clumsy  &tu> 
not  oVrclean  fm^trj 


((        ctc 


w 


remaining  contents, 
into  the  ditch  beside  the  road. 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  that? " 
roared  Hogg,  his  dark  face  turning 
fiery  red. 

"  I  can  feed  swine,"  said  the  Ameri- 
can with  his  most  pleasant  smile,  "  but 
I  will  not  root  in  the  trough  with 
them." 

"By  Heaven!"  shouted  Andrew, 
"  be  careful,  or  you  will  feel  the 
swine's  tusk!  "  and  he  laid  his  hand  on 
his  sword. 

"  Be  careful  yourself !  "  replied  Har- 
rison, unmoved.  "  I  am  too  much  of 
a  Jew  to  eat  pork,  but  just  enough  of 
a  Christian  to  kill  hogs,  especially 
those  possessed  of  devils." 

Young  Richard  burst  out  laughing, 
while  the  three  ruffians  sat  hesitating; 

43 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 


the  calm  assurance  of  Harrison,  and 
his  evident  anxiety  for  a  fight  daunted 
them.  He  faced  them  in  silence  for 
several  seconds,  still  sitting  within 
arm's  length  of  Andrew;  and  then 
as  they  made  no  move,  he  spoke  again. 

"  If  you  dare  not  fight,  draw  aside 
and  let  us  pass,"  said  he;  and  under 
the  compelling  power  of  his  steady 
eye,  the  three  involuntarily  reined 
their  horses  toward  the  roadside.  The 
father  and  son  rode  on  slowly,  convers- 
ing as  if  nothing  had  happened;  and 
though  they  knew  that  their  discom- 
fited enemies  had  pistols  in  their  hols- 
ters, neither  of  the  pair  so  much  as 
turned  his  head. 

"We  have  them  cowed,"  said  Har- 
rison. "  I  think  we  shall  hear  no  more 
from  them."     But  in  that  he  was  mis- 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 


m 


taken,  good  judge  of  men  as  he  was; 
he  underestimated  Andrew  Hogg. 

That  night  Hogg  and  two  of  his 
men  rode  away  toward  London,  leav- 
ing the  wounded  rascal,  Trainor,  alone 
at  Hackthorn  Hall,  and  no  one  about 
Farnham  saw  either  of  them  for  a 
week.  During  this  time  young  Rich- 
ard's wooing  progressed  smoothly,  and 
his  father  relaxed  his  vigilance  a  little, 
for  he  came  to  believe  that  Hogg,  see- 
ing only  formidable  and  dangerous 
opposition  ahead,  had  given  the  whole 
matter  up.  At  the  end  of  the  week 
came  a  surprise;  for  a  Captain  Keat- 
ley,  with  an  escort  of  half  a  dozen 
troopers,  appeared  in  Farnham  village 
with  a  letter  from  the  King,  request- 
ing the  presence  of  Gerald  Harrison 
at   Saltire    Castle,    thirty   miles    away, 

45 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 


where  his  majesty  was  making  a  short 
visit. 

The  letter  merely  set  forth  that  the 
King,  learning  that  Master  Harrison, 
brother  to  his  well-beloved  Lord 
Wycherly,  had  but  lately  come  from 
the  United  States  of  America,  re- 
quested the  presence  of  Master  Har- 
rison, so  and  so;  and  as  the  audience 
was  set  for  the  day  following  the  one 
on  which  Harrison  received  the  letter, 
it  was  imperative  that  he  should  set  off 
at  once  with  the  escort.  The  Virgin- 
ian was  caught  napping;  he  did  not 
think  of  connecting  Andrew  Hogg 
with  the  King's  invitation,  which  he 
supposed  to  be  due  to  Wycherly's  in- 
fluence; he  knew  that  his  brother  and 
other  liberal  statesmen  were  working 
to  eradicate  the  ill  feeling  toward  the 
46 


M. 


new  republic  which  existed  at  court, 
and  he  never  once  thought  of  refusing 
to  comply  with  the  request,  which  was, 
indeed,  tantamount  to  a  command. 
Richard  was  at  Sladden's  farm  when 
the  message  came;  so,  after  hastily 
writing  him  a  note  bidding  him  exer- 
cise all  possible  care  and  watchfulness, 
Harrison  rode  over  to  Farnham  Court 
to  bid  Lady  Alicia  farewell  for  a  day 
or  so.  Her  suspicions  were  instantly 
aroused,  and  she  became  very  anxious. 
"  I  do  not  like  this  message,  coming 
at  this  time,"  said  she.  "  If  you  go 
away,  I  am  afraid  for  Richard  —  and 
for  Mary.  There  is  more  in  this  than 
we  see,  Gerald.  It  is  only  the  fear  of 
you  that  has  held  Hogg  in  check  so 
long,  and  when  he  gets  you  away  he 
will  do  some  devilish  thing.     I  would 

47 


you  did  not  have  to  go,  but  the  King's 
commands  must  be  obeyed." 

"Tut,  tut!"  said  Harrison.  "You 
are  frightened  at  shadows.  I  do  not 
think  our  Hogg  has  influence  enough 
at  court  to  have  brought  all  this  about; 
it  is  not  his  doing.  He  and  his  crew 
are  away  on  some  cut-purse  expedi- 
tion; we  have  scared  them  out.  I 
have  left  a  word  of  caution  for  Rich- 
ard, and  hang  it,  Alicia,  the  boy  is  no 
baby;  he  can  take  care  of  himself.  If 
I  did  not  know  that,  I  would  stay  for 
all  of  fifty  kings."  Lady  Alicia  shook 
her  head  reprovingly;  in  those  days 
the  conservatives  clung  to  an  exagger- 
ated respect  for  the  pretensions  of  roy- 
alty, for  which  the  radicals  manifested 
an  equally  exaggerated  contempt. 

"  Blaspheme       not       the       Lord's 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 


.tt 


anointed!  "  said  the  lady.  "  But  there 
is  only  one  man  in  England  who  is  a 
match  for  black  Hogg  and  his  bloody 
three,  and  that  is  you,  Gerald.  Go, 
since  you  must,  and  come  back  quickly. 
I  shall  have  no  peace  until  I  see  you 
again." 

So,  smiling  at  her  fears,  he  kissed 
her  hand  and  went.  It  was  well  on 
in  the  afternoon  when  he  rode  out  of 
Farnham  with  his  escort.  They  had 
planned  to  ride  until  after  midnight, 
for  the  moon  was  full,  and  then  to  lie 
at  Shoresby  until  morning,  reaching 
Saltire  Castle  early  in  the  following 
day. 

Now,  the  King's  invitation  had  been 
brought  about  in  this  way:  Hogg, 
going  up  to  London  to  devise  some 
means  of  getting  rid  of  Harrison,  had 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 


fallen  in  with  an  American  tory  named 
Cunningham,  who  hated  the  Virgin- 
ian and  all  things  connected  with  the 
republic  over  seas,  and  who  had  some 
influence  at  court.  This  man  had  im- 
pressed Andrew  with  the  danger  of 
meeting  Harrison  in  fight,  because  of 
the  latter's  almost  supernatural  skill 
with  the  sword;  and,  by  putting  their 
wits  together,  the  two  had  formed  a 
cunning  plan  for  getting  him  out  of 
the  way.  Cunningham  had  procured 
the  invitation  to  an  audience  with  the 
King,  and  had  seen  that  the  letter  was 
intrusted  to  Captain  Keatley,  an  honest 
but  somewhat  thick-headed  soldier, 
who  was  violently  prejudiced  against 
republican  ideas.  The  tory  had  inti- 
mated to  the  Captain  that  in  case  Har- 
rison should  insult  Royalty  by  declin- 
50 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 

ing  the  invitation  he  was  to  be  brought 
to  Saltire  Castle  by  force,  and  the  sol- 
dier, understanding  that  his  mission 
was  to  make  an  arrest  under  pretence 
of  an  invitation  to  court,  was  quite  pre- 
pared to  use  strenuous  measures.  As 
soon  as  the  Virginian's  back  was  turned 
on  Farnham,  Hogg  and  his  three  vil- 
lains were  to  waylay  Richard  and  kill 
him;  and  then,  when  Harrison  re- 
turned, they  were  to  take  refuge  in 
Hackthorn  Hall  and  stand  guard  with 
loaded  pistols,  trusting  to  shoot  him 
down  before  he  could  come  to  close 
quarters.  They  had  arrived  at  the  hall 
during  the  night  previous  to  the  com- 
ing of  the  King's  messenger,  and  they 
watched  the  Virginian  from  a  dis- 
tance, as  he  rode  away  with  his  escort. 


UST  at  sundown  on  that 
same  evening,  Richard 
left  Sladden's  house 
and  started  toward 
Farnham  village  and 
the  Blue  Goose  Inn.  He  was  on  foot, 
and  he  walked  briskly  along  the  high- 
way, whistling  a  merry  tune.  He  had 
just  passed  the  gates  of  Hackthorn 
Hall  when  up  from  the  grass  where 
they  had  been  sitting,  rose  Andrew 
Hogg  and  the  bloody  three,  and  saun- 
tered out  in  front  of  him  in  such  a  way 
as  to  bar  his  progress;  and  they  stood 
52 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 

looking  at  him  in  evil  fashion.    Young 
Richard  saw  murder  in  their  eyes,  and 
he  sent  one  swift  glance  up  and  down 
the     road,     thinking    of    his     father 
whereat  black  Andrew  laughed  aloud. 

"  Useless  to  look  for  father  to  pro- 
tect you,  little  man,"  he  mocked. 
"  He's  many  a  long  mile  on  his  way  to 
Saltire  Castle.  So  you  must  fight  your 
own  battle  for  once." 

"  I  have  no  doubt  that  he  is  gone, 
Hogg,"  said  Richard  coolly,  "  else  you 
four  would  not  dare  show  your  heads 
abroad.  Say  what  you  want,  you  cut- 
throat scoundrel,  or  get  out  of  my 
way." 

"  Oh!  "  said  Hogg.  "  Now  hear  him 
try  to  roar,  this  puppy  who  is  pretend- 
ing to  be  a  lion's  cub!  Why,  this  is 
what  I  want,  my  dear  young  friend. 

53 


*#■ 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 


I  want  you  to  go  back  to  London,  and 
never  come  near  Farnham,  or  see  Mis- 
tress Mary  Chester  again." 

"  And  what  if  I  refuse  your  very 
reasonable  request?  " 

"  We'll  run  you  through  the  body, 
and  leave  you  lying  here  for  the  car- 
rion crows  to  peck  at." 

"  Do  you  want  Mistress  Mary  your- 
self, Hogg?  » 

"  Ay,  and  mean  to  have  her." 

"  If  you  were  not  such  an  infernal 
coward,"  said  Richard,  as  if  consid- 
ering, "  how  easily  you  and  I  might 
settle  this  whole  matter." 

"  What  do  you  mean,  whelp?  " 

"  Let  your  three  thieves  sit  down 
again  while  you  and  I  fight  it  out 
without  interference,  and  let  the  best 
man  have  her.     If  you  can  best  me 

54 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 


/ft 


fairly,  I  will  go  back  to  London  as  you 
say." 

"Good!"  roared  Andrew,  drawing 
his  sword.  "  Sit  down,  men,  and  watch 
me  clip  this  young  cock's  spurs.  On 
guard,  boy,  and  you  shall  howl  for 
quarter,  or  I'll  run  you  through."  The 
other  three  sat  down  upon  the  grass, 
and  the  two  men  in  the  road  crossed 
swords. 

We  have  said  that  Andrew  Hogg 
was  a  good  swordsman;  but  he  was 
not  long  in  learning  that  young  Rich- 
ard was  a  better  one.  The  youth  had 
been  carefully  trained  by  his  father, 
and  had  a  fair  share  of  the  latter's  mar- 
vellous skill.  It  was  but  a  few  mo- 
ments until  Hogg  was  bleeding  from 
a  wound  in  the  shoulder,  and  was 
looking  greatly  worried  and  amazed. 

55 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 


Richard  pressed  the  fighting,  for  he 
hoped  to  disable  his  adversary  and 
take  to  his  heels  before  the  other  three 
could  come  upon  him.,  knowing  that 
he  had  no  chance  against  all  of  them; 
but  this  opportunity  was  not  to  be 
given  him,  for  Andrew,  hard  pressed, 
called  for  help  and  the  other  three 
rushed  to  his  assistance.  Richard  de- 
fended himself  gallantly,  but  without 
hope.  Attacked  on  all  sides,  he  was 
soon  wounded  in  the  sword  arm  and 
disarmed,  and  two  of  his  enemies 
grasped  him  by  the  wrists  while  a 
third,  kneeling  behind  him,  clasped 
him  about  the  knees.  Andrew  stood 
in  front,  furious  with  his  defeat  and 
the  pain  of  his  wounded  shoulder. 

"I'll  finish  you  now!"  he  shouted, 
presenting    his    sword's    point    for    a 
56 


^iH^^Sorf 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 


3 


thrust.  Young  Richard  saw  his  deadly 
purpose  in  his  eye,  and  his  own  glance 
wavered  for  a  single  instant;  he  was 
young,  and  he  loved,  and  it  was  hard 
to  die.  Then  his  look  grew  steady 
again,  and  he  stood  very  straight  with 
his  eye  on  Hogg's,  and  smiled  while 
the  cowardly  villain  ran  him  through 
the  body.  His  knees  gave  way  and  he 
sank  in  the  dust  of  the  highway,  but 
as  he  went  down  he  swayed  forward 
and  spit  in  Andrew's  face. 

"For  her!"  he  whispered,  as  his 
eyes  closed.  Hogg,  frothing  with 
fury,  raised  his  sword  for  another 
thrust;  but  just  at  that  instant  there 
came  a  strange  moaning  howl  from  a 
thicket  beside  the  road,  and  he  held 
his  hand  and  stood  glaring  into  the 
shadows,    for    it   was    growing    dusk. 

57 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 


f 


The  four  drew  close  together  around 
the  body  of  their  victim,  and  stood 
trembling;  they  were  all  superstitious, 
and  moreover,  the  dread  of  Hell-fire 
Harrison  was  coming  heavily  upon 
them. 

"  Let  be!"  said  Trainor,  tremu- 
lously, grasping  Hogg's  arm  as  he 
raised  it  again.  "  He's  dead  enough. 
Come  on,"  and  the  four  started  off 
toward  the  Hall.  As  soon  as  they  were 
out  of  sight,  Dicky  Dirk  came  from 
the  thicket,  lurching  from  side  to  side 
in  desperate  haste.  He  bent  over  the 
prostrate  body  for  a  moment,  and  then, 
by  exercising  all  the  strength  of  his 
powerful  arms,  hoisted  it  upon  his 
shoulders  and  staggered  off  toward 
Farnham  Court. 

It  was  quite  dark  when  he  kicked 
58 


f 
A 


open  the  great  door  and  shambled  into 
the  entrance-hall  with  his  bloody  bur- 
den. Lady  Alicia  chanced  to  be  at 
hand,  giving  her  servants  some  direc- 
tions for  the  night.  When  she  saw 
what  Dicky  carried  she  screamed 
aloud,  for  Richard's  arms  hung  limp 
on  either  side  of  his  bearer's  neck,  and 
his  blood  was  dripping  from  his  own 
and  Dicky's  clothing;  so  she  was  justi- 
fied in  thinking  him  quite  dead.  She. 
turned  upon  one  of  her  two  footmen, 
like  a  fury. 

"  Take  the  best  horse  in  the  stable," 
said  she,  "  and  ride  toward  Saltire 
Castle.  Kill  your  horse,  if  need  be, 
but  overtake  Gerald  Harrison  and  tell 
him  Andrew  Hogg  has  killed  his 
son! "    And  the  man  ran  out  instantly. 

They    carried    Richard    into    Lady 

59 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 


Alicia's  own  room,  and  sent  the  other 
footman  for  a  physician;  and  mean- 
while the  lady  and  Dicky  Dirk,  who 
had  spoken  not  a  word  since  coming 
into  the  house,  worked  together  to 
stanch  the  flow  of  blood.  Presently 
the  Farnham  apothecary  came,  and  re- 
lieved them  of  their  task.  He  was 
well-skilled  in  dealing  with  wounds, 
as  were  most  of  the  surgeons  of  that 
day,  and  he  worked  long  and  patiently 
before  Richard's  condition  was  to  his 
liking.  It  was  ten  o'clock  when  he 
turned  to  Lady  Alicia  and  said: 

"  No  vital  part  was  touched,  my 
Lady;  it  was  almost  a  miracle.  With 
the  best  of  nursing,  the  lad  will  live." 

"Thank    God!"    the    lady   gasped, 

but  Dicky,  turning  in  silence,  left  the 

house  and  went  swaying  off  across  the 
60 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 


fields  toward  Sladden's  farm.  Not- 
withstanding his  disability  he  got  over 
the  ground  rapidly,  and  it  was  less 
than  an  hour  later  when,  under  his 
hand,  the  heavy  iron  knocker  woke  the 
sleeping  echoes  of  the  farmhouse.  He 
knocked  continuously  until  he  heard 
footsteps  within,  and  then  stood  wait- 
ing. 


. 


JLADDEN  himself 
opened  the  door  a 
very  little;  but  a 
heavy  fist  was  dashed 
against  it,  sending  it 
flying  wide,  and  Dicky  Dirk  came 
lurching  in.  The  cripple's  hands  and 
face  were  stained  with  blood,  and  his 
clothing  was  soaked  with  it;  his  man- 
ner showed  excitement,  and  his  look 
was  wild  and  fierce.  The  farmer, 
knowing  well  the  strength  of  those  long 
and  hairy  arms,  kept  out  of  his  way, 
staring  in  blank  amazement. 


M 


t 

a 
? 

i 


9 


"  Where's  Mistress  Mary?"  de- 
manded Dicky. 

"  What's  that  to  you?"  growled 
Sladden.  "  Get  out,  you  villain;  I 
want  to  lock  my  door  again." 

"Will  zee  Mistress  Mary,"  said 
Dicky. 

"  You  can't  see  her,  you  bloody  ruf- 
fian! What  pot-house  brawl  have  you 
been  into?  Get  out.  Mistress  Mary 
has  been  in  her  bed  these  two  hours." 

"  Call  her." 

"  Now,  curse  your  impudence!  Get 
out,  or  I'll  call  help  to  throw  you  out. 
What  do  you  want  with  her?  " 

"I'll  call  her  zelf,"  said  Dicky, 
starting  toward  the  stairway.  He 
knew  the  house  well,  having  been 
often  employed  there.  Sladden  sprang 
before  him  with  an  oath,  but  the  crip- 
63 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 

pie  put  his  hand  on  his  knife  and  came 
on,  and  the  Squire  stepped  aside. 
Dicky  went  up  the  stairs,  and  knocked 
at  Mary's  door,  and  it  was  quickly 
opened  by  the  girl  herself.  She  had 
been  sitting  at  the  window,  looking  at 
the  moon  and  dreaming  of  her  lover, 
and  was  fully  dressed.  She  cried  out, 
when  she  saw  her  bloody  visitor. 

"  Dicky,"  she  said  sharply,  "  is  it 
Richard?" 

"Ay,"  said  Dicky.  "  T  hog  met 
un  on  t'  high  rowd,  an'  t'  four  fought 
un,  an7  run  swourd  through  un."  She 
leaned  against  the  wall,  with  her  face 
as  white  as  snow. 

"  Is  he  dead?  "  she  whispered,  trem- 
bling. 

"  I  carried  un  on  back  to  Farnham 
Court,"  Dicky  replied,  "  an'  t'  leech 
64 


! 


says  a'll  live,  if  un  has  good  nursin'." 
The  color  came  back  to  her  face  with 
a  rush. 

"Why,  that  he  shall  have,  Dicky!" 
said  she.  "  Wait  you  for  me,"  and 
she  began  throwing  some  of  her  ap- 
parel into  a  portmanteau.  When  it 
was  filled  she  turned  again  to  the 
cripple,  who  stood  waiting  at  the  door. 

"  Take  me  to  Farnham  Court,"  said 
she,  and  they  went  down  the  stair  to- 
gether. Sladden,  with  two  of  the 
farm-hands  whom  he  had  called,  was 
waiting  in  the  hall  below. 

"What  does  this  mean?"  he  asked, 
astonished.    "  Where  are  you  going?  " 

"  I  am  going  to  Richard  Harrison," 
she  said,  "  who  was  attacked  upon  the 
road  to-night  by  that  cowardly  mur- 
derer Andrew  Hogg  and  his  crew,  no 
65 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 


doubt  with  your  full  knowledge  and 
connivance." 

"You  shameless  hussy!  Will  you 
go  to  him  unwed?  "  Her  cheek  grew 
hot,  and  her  eye  flashed  hotter  still. 

"  Dicky,"  said  she,  "  if  yonder  man 
lifts  hand  to  stop  me,  kill  him!" 

"  I  wull!  "  growled  Dicky,  drawing 
his  great  knife  and  lurching  forward; 
and  Sladden  and  his  bumpkins  backed 
against  the  wall  and  let  them  pass.  It 
was  midnight  when  they  reached 
Farnham  Court,  where  Lady  Alicia 
greeted  Mary  with  joyful  astonish- 
ment, and  yet  with  an  anxious  face. 

"  How  is  Richard?  "  were  the  girl's 
first  words. 

"He  is  conscious,  Mary;  full  of 
hope  and  courage,  but  very  weak  from 
the  great  loss  of  blood." 

66 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 


a 


^ 


t 


"But  will  he  live?" 

"  With  proper  nursing;  so  the  sur- 
geon says." 

"  I  have  come  to  nurse  him."  Lady 
Alicia  looked  perplexed. 

"  But  Mary  —  "  she  said,  and  hesi- 
tated. She  was  thinking  of  Andrew 
Hogg,  and  the  fear  possessed  her  that 
when  he  heard  of  Mary's  presence  at 
Richard's  bedside  he  would  come  in  a 
rage  to  finish  his  work  and  carry  the 
girl  away.  And  Mary,  seeing  her 
hesitation  and  remembering  Sladden's 
insult,  misunderstood  her.  She  raised 
her  head  high,  and  turned  instantly  to 
Dicky  Dirk. 

"  Dicky,"  said  she,  "  will  you  do  me 
a  kindness?  " 

"  Ay,"  said  Dicky,  promptly. 

"  Then  go  to  Farnham  parsonage 
67 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 

for  Vicar  Slade,  and  bring  him  here; 
bring  him,  Dicky,  whether  he  will  or 
no.  Tell  him  he  is  to  marry  me  to 
Richard  Harrison,  and  then  we  shall 
see  who  will  keep  a  wife  from  her  hus- 
band." 

Dicky  wavered  out  into  the  night, 
and  Mary  turned  again  to  Lady  Alicia, 
with  a  heaving  breast  and  a  trium- 
phant look. 

"  Will  any  one  have  a  better  right 
than  I?  "  she  demanded. 

The  lady's  eyes  shone  as  she  clasped 
the  girl  in  her  arms  and  kissed  her. 

"  It  was  not  of  that  I  was  thinking, 
Mary,"  said  she.  "But  of  —  well, 
never  mind;  you  have  chosen  the 
right  way."  She  turned  suddenly  to 
the  sleepy  footman,  who  was  sitting  in 
the  hall. 

68 


f 
! 

i 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 

"  Thomas,"  she  said,  "  what  weap- 
ons have  we  in  the  house?  " 

"  Only  a  couple  of  muskets,  my 
Lady." 

"  Load  them,  and  bring  them  here, 
and  keep  the  front  door  barred.  Let 
no  one  enter  until  you  are  certain  that 
he  is  a  friend." 

"  You  fear  Hogg?  "  said  Mary.  "  I 
had  not  thought  of  him." 

"  God  send  Gerald  Harrison  back 
before  Black  Andrew  hears  of  this!" 
said  Lady  Alicia.  They  put  their 
arms  around  each  other,  and  went  up 
to  the  door  of  Richard's  room,  and  the 
woman  who  was  watching  whispering 
to  them  that  he  had  fallen  asleep,  they 
sat  down  outside  to  wait.  After  a  little 
time,  Dicky  Dirk  came,  leading  the 
shivering  clergyman  by  the  arm. 
69 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 


Vicar  Slade  was  a  typical  parson  of 
those  times;  a  fox-hunting,  gambling, 
hard-drinking  man  of  the  world,  very 
much  more  rogue  than  saint;  the 
type  of  ecclesiastic  who  brought  relig- 
ion into  disrepute,  and  drove  men  like 
Gerald  Harrison  to  the  profession  of 
open  atheism.  In  common  with  all 
of  Farnham,  the  Vicar  was  much 
afraid  of  Andrew  Hogg,  and  it  was 
evident  that  he  was  badly  frightened; 
his  clothing  was  disheveled,  and  Dicky 
grasped  him  tightly  above  the  elbow. 

"  A  was  feard  o'  t'  hog,"  said  Dicky, 
"  an'  wouldn't  come;  zo  I  browt 
un." 

"  This  is  a  most  outrageous  proceed- 
ing, Lady  Alicia,"  said  the  clergyman 
in  a  quivering  voice. 

"  It  is  not  Lady  Alicia's  doing,  Mr. 

70 


a 


Slade,"  said  Mary,  gently.  "  It  was  I 
who  sent  for  you,  to  exercise  your  holy 
office  in  marrying  me  to  Richard  Har- 
rison.   Let  him  loose,  Dicky." 

"  No,"  said  Dicky,  "  a'll  run  off." 
And  he  kept  his  grip  upon  the  parson's 
arm. 

"  I  know  enough  of  all  this,"  quav- 
ered the  vicar,  "  to  be  aware  that  I 
must  answer  to  Andrew  Hogg  if  I 
marry  you." 

"  Must  answer  to  me  if  ee  doan't," 
said  Dicky,  putting  his  hand  on  his 
knife. 

"  You  are  surely  between  two  fires, 
Mr.  Slade,"  said  Lady  Alicia,  smiling 
in  spite  of  herself,  at  the  man's  terror, 
"  for  without  doubt  Dicky  will  do  you 
a  mischief  if  you  refuse  to  perform 
this  ceremony." 

71 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 


"That  I  wull!"  growled  Dicky. 

"  I  call  upon  you  to  witness  then," 
said  Slade,  "  that  I  do  it  under  com- 
pulsion, and  in  fear  for  my  life.  If 
you  have  a  prayer-book  in  the  house, 
Lady  Alicia,  have  it  fetched ;  and  then 
I  am  ready,  since  I  must." 

They  sat  waiting  until  Richard 
awoke,  and  then  went  together  into 
his  room,  Dicky  keeping  near  the  par- 
son, with  a  watchful  eye  upon  him. 
When  Mistress  Mary  saw  the  white 
face  upon  the  pillow  she  came  very 
near  losing  the  self-possession  she  had 
retained  so  bravely.  She  stopped 
short,  and  stood  for  an  instant  with 
both  her  clenched  hands  pressed 
against  her  throat.  Then  she  went 
quickly  to  the  bedside,  and  bent  above 
him,  smiling.  And  seeing  who  it  was, 
72 


I 

i3. 
I 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 


he  looked  with  wonder  for  a  moment, 
and  then  smiled  back  at  her. 

"  Angel!"  he  whispered  softly. 
She  stooped,  and  laid  her  cheek 
against  his. 

"  Richard,  my  dear  love,"  said  she, 
"  do  not  try  to  move  or  speak.  You 
are  sorely  hurt,  and  I  have  come  to  be 
with  you  night  and  day.  And  I  have 
brought  the  parson  to  marry  us,  if  you 
will  have  me,  Richard." 

"Will  I?"  he  whispered,  smiling. 
"  Ay,  and  be  run  through  fifty  times 
to  get  the  chance."  She  put  her  finger 
on  his  lips. 

"  You  are  only  to  say  yes  and  no, 
sir,"  said  she,  "  and  not  to  excite  your- 
self at  all.    Do  you  understand?  " 

"  Yes  and  no,  sir,"  said  he.  She 
drew    a    ring    from    her    finger,    and 

73 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 


placed  it  under  the  poor  nerveless 
hand,  which  lay  upon  the  cover. 

"  It  was  my  mother's  wedding  ring, 
and  shall  be  mine,"  she  said.  "  When 
the  time  comes,  I  can  slip  my  ringer 
into  it;  do  not  try  to  raise  your  hand. 
Dicky,  you  have  been  our  friend  this 
night,  and  you  shall  give  me  away. 
Go  on,  Mr.  Slade;  we  are  ready." 

So  they  were  married,  with  Lady 
Alicia  and  the  serving-woman  for  wit- 
nesses ;  and  Dicky  Dirk  gave  the  bride 
away.  Then  Mary  put  them  all  out 
of  the  room,  and  sitting  down  beside 
her  husband,  held  his  hand  and  sang 
to  him  softly  until  he  went  to  sleep 
again.  Day  was  breaking  when  all 
this  was  over,  and  Lady  Alicia  sat 
down  in  the  hall,  with  her  one  foot- 
man and  her  two  loaded  muskets,  to 

74 


5 


\ 


,     C       6    •«      ■ 
•       .  •    o  •     e 

c  C 

cl    'c        c     ■ 

I     C     C        C       < 
c  c      t       C  <       . 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 

watch  for  Andrew  Hogg,  while  Dicky 
Dirk  hurried  off  across  the  fields, 
weaving  from  side  to  side  and  clutch- 
ing at  the  air  in  his  haste,  and  reaching 
the  gates  of  Hackthorn  Hall,  sat  down 
to  wait  for  Gerald  Harrison. 


CHA  VTETi 
SEVEK 


ARRISON  and  his  es- 
cort rode  in  a  leisurely 
fashion  along  the  road 
to  Saltire  Castle,  be- 
guiling the  time  with 
pleasant  conversation.  The  night  air 
was  cool  and  fresh,  and  the  moon  was 
shining  brilliantly.  The  two  gentle- 
men rode  abreast  in  front,  with  the 
troopers  following  a  little  way  behind. 
It  was  past  midnight,  and  they  had 
come  in  sight  of  the  lights  of  Shoresby, 
where  they  were  to  rest  until  morning, 
when  they  heard  a  horse  galloping 
76 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 


&lf* 


hard  behind  them,  and  drew  rein  to 
see  what  the  occasion  of  such  haste 
might  be.  And  the  rider  proved  to 
be  Lady  Alicia's  footman,  bare-headed 
and  splashed  with  mud,  who  rode  up 
and  spoke  to  Harrison. 

"  My  Lady  sent  me,  sir,"  said  he, 
"  to  tell  you  that  Andrew  Hogg  has 
killed  your  son."  And  he  added:  "  I 
saw  his  body  brought  in." 

Captain  Keatley  cried  out  in  horri- 
fied astonishment,  and  turned  sharply 
to  Harrison.  An  instant  comprehen- 
sion of  the  whole  plot  came  to  the  Vir- 
ginian. He  realized  that  Lady  Alicia 
had  been  right,  and  that  the  King's 
invitation  had  been  procured  to  get 
him  out  of  the  way  while  his  son  was 
murdered.  But  whatever  passed  in 
his    mind,    his    countenance    did    not 

77 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 


change  in  the  least,  and  his  voice  was 
calm  and  natural  as  he  answered: 

"  Ah !  In  that  case,  much  as  I  re- 
gret to  lose  your  pleasant  company, 
Captain,  I  suppose  I  must  turn  back." 
He  waited  an  instant  for  a  reply,  and 
then  slowly  turned  his  horse  about. 

Captain  Keatley  hesitated  in  some 
perplexity.  He  had  been  very  favor- 
ably impressed  by  Harrison,  and  he 
felt  a  keen  sympathy  for  the  man  who 
met  such  dreadful  news  with  so  gal- 
lant and  unwavering  a  front;  and  also, 
there  began  to  dawn  upon  his  mind  a 
suspicion  that  he,  himself,  had  been 
made  an  instrument  in  carrying  out 
some  vile  plot.  On  the  other  hand, 
he  had  his  instructions  from  Cunning- 
ham, and  his  almost  superstitious  rev- 
erence for  the  King's  command,  and, 
78 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 

for  a  moment,  he  could  not  decide 
between  his  sympathy  and  what  he 
conceived  to  be  his  duty.  As  the 
American  started  his  horse  on  the 
backward  way,  Keatley  found  voice, 
and  said: 

"  But,  sir,  his  Majesty  ordered  me 
to  bring  you  to  him,  and  if  I  re- 
turn without  you,  what  shall  I  tell 
him?" 

Harrison  slowly  turned  his  horse 
about  again,  coming  face  to  face  with 
the  soldier;  he  rode  up  until  his 
horse's  head  overlapped  the  captain's 
thigh,  and  their  faces  were  scarcely 
twelve  inches  apart.  The  moonlight 
fell  full  on  the  Virginian's  counte- 
nance; he  was  smiling  pleasantly,  but 
Keatley's  blood  ran  cold  as  he  caught 
his  look,  for  his  eyes  were  like  coals 

79 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 

of  fire,  yet  when  he  spoke  his  voice 
was  soft  and  low. 

"  Tell  him,"  said  Harrison,  "  to  go 
to  Hell!"  Captain  Keatley  leaned 
backward  as  if  he  had  received  a  blow, 
and  uttered  an  exclamation  of  horror. 

"  And  tell  him,"  the  other  went  on, 
"  that  if  I  had  believed  you  to  be  a 
co-conspirator  with  Andrew  Hogg  in 
this,  I  would  have  run  my  sword 
through  you  the  instant  I  had  the 
news.  Good  morning,  Captain."  He 
wheeled  his  horse  about  for  the  third 
time,  and  rode  back  past  the  troopers 
in  a  walk,  and  no  one  lifted  a  hand 
to  hinder  him.  Captain  Keatley  rode 
on  to  Saltire  Castle,  and  reported  sim- 
ply that  Harrison  had  turned  back 
on  hearing  of  the  death  of  his  son,  and 

that  he  had  thought  it  right  to  let  him 

80 


f 

A 


go.  So  great  was  his  admiration  for 
the  American's  courage  that  he  never 
mentioned  the  affront  which  had  been 
offered  to  Royalty. 

Once  out  of  earshot  of  his  escort, 
Harrison  gave  his  horse  the  spur, 
leaving  Lady  Alicia's  man  to  follow 
at  a  slower  pace,  and  rode  with  all 
speed  toward  Farnham.  At  the  first 
tavern  he  secured  a  fresh  mount,  leav- 
ing his  own  steed  for  the  serving-man 
to  bring  along.  What  passed  with  him 
during  that  lonely  ride,  whether  he 
laughed  or  cried  or  kept  his  stoical 
composure  through  it  all,  no  one  will 
ever  know.  He  dearly  loved  his  son, 
and  he  believed  him  dead,  and  his 
heart  must  have  burned  with  a  fierce 
lust  for  vengeance  upon  the  murder- 
ers, but  when,  in  the  early  morning, 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 


he  sprang  from  his  saddle  at  the  Blue 
Goose  Inn,  his  face  was  as  serene  as 
ever.  He  went  straight  to  his  apart- 
ment, exchanging  no  word  with  any 
one,  and  there  he  removed  all  traces 
of  his  rapid  ride  by  a  bath  and  a 
change  of  garments.  The  sun  was  just 
rising  when,  immaculately  dressed, 
and  with  every  frill  and  ruffle  in  its 
place,  with  his  hair  freshly  powdered 
and  his  rosy  cheek  smooth  shaved,  he 
set  off  afoot  and  at  a  careless  pace 
toward  Hackthorn  Hall.  No  one  was 
astir  at  the  inn  save  the  lout  of  a  stable- 
boy  who  had  taken  his  horse.  No  one 
yet  knew  of  the  happenings  overnight, 
and  so  he  went  on,  still  believing  that 
his  son  was  dead.  As  he  entered  the 
gate  of  Hackthorn  Hall,  Dicky  Dirk 

rose  up  beside  him. 

82 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 

"  Been  waitin'  for  ee,"  said  Dicky. 

"  How  came  you  so  bloody?  "  asked 
Harrison. 

"  Picked  up  thy  boy." 

"  Hah!  Yes.  Well,  Dicky,  what  do 
you  want  with  me?  " 

"  To  zee  ee  kill  Hogg." 

"No,  Dicky,"  said  Harrison,  "I 
will  do  this  work  quite  alone.  I  want 
neither  help  nor  spectators."  He  was 
about  to  start  on,  but  Dicky  stopped 
him  by  throwing  up  one  of  his  huge 
hands. 

"  Look  ee!  "  he  said,  and  his  hoarse 
voice  trembled  in  a  sudden  outburst 
of  rage,  "  Hogg  broak  ma  back;  killed 
ma  fayther  with  swourd,  an'  broak  ma 
moader's  heart.  I've  carried  dirk  for 
vifteen  year  to  kill  un,  an'  by  Goad, 
I'll  zee  un  die."  Harrison  stood  quite 
83 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 


still    for   a   moment,    gazing   into 
cripple's  passion-distorted  face. 

"  Ay,  ay?  "  said  he.  "  Well,  Dicky, 
your  claim  seems  to  take  precedence 
over  mine;  though  I  am  sorry  for  it. 
Come  on,  then,  you  shall  not  only  see 
him  die,  but  you  may  finish  him  your- 
self." He  started  on,  and  Dicky  fol- 
lowed at  his  heels. 

They  walked  slowly  up  the  grav- 
elled drive  which  led  to  the  house,  a 
strangely  paired  couple  indeed;  the 
smiling,  splendid  gentleman,  looking 
about  him  with  an  air  of  half  indiffer- 
ent interest  as  he  sauntered  along,  and 
behind  him  the  blood-stained  cripple, 
beating  the  air  with  his  huge  hands, 
and  making  fearful  grimaces  in  the 
sudden  giving  way  to  his  long  hidden 
hatred  of  black  Andrew  Hogg. 
84 


*u 


Hogg  and  his  men  had  held  high 
carnival  all  night,  celebrating  the 
murder  of  Richard,  and  as  day  was 
breaking  they  had  decided  that 
Trainor  should  stand  guard  in  the 
grounds  with  his  pistol,  against  the 
possible  coming  of  Harrison,  while 
the  others  went  to  sleep.  They  had 
been  in  their  beds  but  an  hour  or  so 
when  the  Virginian  arrived,  and 
Trainor,  sitting  at  the  foot  of  a  great 
tree  beside  the  driveway,  was  drowsing 
also,  with  an  empty  bottle  beside  him. 
So  Harrison  walked  up  to  him,  and 
stood  for  a  moment  looking  down  at 
the  nodding  head  and  bandaged  face. 

"  Kick  him  awake,"  he  said  to 
Dicky,  and  the  cripple  brought  one 
of  his  heavy  hands  down  on  the  sleep- 
er's head  with  a  resounding  slap. 
85 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 

Trainor  leaped  to  his  feet  on  the  in- 
stant, and  seeing  at  the  first  glance  who 
his  visitors  were,  he  proved  his  readi- 
ness by  firing  his  pistol,  which  had 
been  ready  in  his  hand,  point  blank  at 
Harrison.  The  Virginian  sprang 
aside,  and  Dicky  struck  up  the  fellow's 
arm,  so  the  bullet  went  wide  of  the 
mark,  and  Harrison,  whipping  out  his 
sword,  ran  the  man  through.  He  fell 
upon  the  driveway,  and  Dicky,  bend- 
ing over  him  and  seeing  that  the 
sword-thrust  had  gone  rather  low, 
drove  his  dirk  with  great  precision 
through  the  ruffian's  heart.  Harrison 
drew  a  handkerchief  from  his  pocket 
and  wiped  his  sword  carefully  before 
sheathing  it;  and  Dicky  wiped  his 
knife  upon  his  bloody  sleeve. 

"  You  seem  to  have  a  good  work- 

S6 


ARR  I 


man's  taste  in  these  matters,  Dicky," 
said  the  American  as  they  started  on. 
"  You  do  not  like  to  leave  an  imper- 
fectly finished  job  behind  you." 

When  they  came  to  the  front  of  the 
house,  Harrison  paused  and  inspected 
the  silent  building  reflectively;  he  ex- 
pected to  be  fired  at  from  the  windows, 
but  nothing  of  the  kind  happened,  and 
there  was  no  sign  of  life. 

"  They  must  be  still  asleep,"  he  said 
to  Dicky.  "  I  wish  we  had  a  way  to 
break  down  the  door." 

"  Wait,"  said  the  cripple,  shambling 
of!  around  the  house,  and  presently  he 
came  back  carrying  a  great  axe.  He 
went  up  the  steps,  and  swinging  the 
tool  with  all  the  strength  of  his  power- 
ful arms,  began  to  batter  at  the  lock 
of  the  heavy  oaken  door.    The  sound 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 


of  the  crashing  blows  reverberated 
through  the  house  like  thunder,  and 
Harrison  kept  close  watch  upon  the 
windows,  but  still  he  saw  no  sign  of 
life.  Presently,  the  thick  wood  about 
the  lock  having  been  beaten  to  frag- 
ments, the  door  swung  open,  and  the 
Virginian  stepped  in  with  Dicky  close 
behind  him. 


f 


ROM  across  the  en- 
trance hall  came  three 
pistol  shots  in  quick 
succession,  but  the  bul- 
lets whistled  harm- 
lessly above  Harrison's  head,  for  the 
nerves  of  Hogg  and  his  two  remaining 
scoundrels  were  not  in  condition  for 
effective  target  practice.  After  ca- 
rousing until  nearly  daylight,  they  had 
been  aroused  out  of  their  first  drunken 
sleep  by  Dicky's  crashing  blows  upon 
the  door,  and  tumbling  out  of  bed  half- 
89 


^d 


H  E  L  L- F I  RE 


dressed,  as  they  had  retired,  they  had 
run  down  the  stairs  carrying  swords 
and  pistols.  When  Harrison  stepped 
inside  the  door  they  fired  hastily,  and 
now,  their  firearms  which  had  been 
their  chief  reliance  against  the  terrible 
Virginian,  being  empty  and  useless 
they  dashed  them  to  the  floor  and  drew 
their  swords.  They  were  truly  a 
loathsome  sight  as  they  stood  huddled 
together  by  the  farther  wall;  their 
uncombed  hair  hung  in  tangled  masses 
about  their  bloated  and  desperate 
faces,  and  the  fear  in  their  burning 
eyes  was  like  that  of  rats  caught  in  a 
trap.  Stepping  at  once  between  them 
and  the  stairway,  Harrison  came  on, 
smiling  and  calm.  At  a  little  dis- 
tance from  them  he  halted  and  drew 
his  sword,  and  then  clapping  it  under 
90 


J 


I 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 


his  arm,  took  a  pinch  of  snuff.  Re- 
turning the  box  to  his  pocket,  and  care- 
fully brushing  off  a  speck  which  had 
fallen  on  the  front  of  his  ruffled  shirt, 
he  saluted  courteously. 

"  Good  morning,  gentlemen,"  said 
he.  "  I  am  sorry  to  disturb  you  so 
early,  but  my  business  is  urgent;  I 
have  come  to  rob  the  hangman  of  a 
job." 

At  that,  Andrew  Hogg  knowing 
that  he  must  fight  for  his  life  as  he 
had  never  fought  before,  burst  out  in 
cursing  and  sprang  forward,  calling 
out  to  his  men,  and  the  three  fell  upon 
Harrison.  And  now  Dicky  Dirk, 
looking  on,  saw  such  an  exhibition  of 
skill  in  fence  as  few  have  witnessed  in 
this  world.  Harrison's  sword  became 
a  glittering  wall  of  steel;  it  seemed  to 
91 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 

encase  him  from  head  to  foot  like  a 
suit  of  armor.  He  did  not  leap  and 
spring  about  to  dodge  their  thrusts, 
but  stood  still,  beating  aside  their 
blades  with  his  own  flying  weapon. 
His  quickness  of  eye  and  hand,  his 
strength  of  arm  and  wrist,  were  mar- 
vellous; it  was  the  skill  of  a  wizard, 
a  prestidigitator,  rather  than  that  of  a 
merely  expert  swordsman.  They  could 
not  reach  him  with  their  thrusts  or 
blows,  they  could  not  even  make  him 
give  back  an  inch,  or  step  aside;  and 
they  were  compelled  to  keep  in  front 
of  him  by  Dicky,  who,  whenever  one 
of  them  stepped  out  to  take  the  fencer 
on  the  side,  came  quickly  in  behind  the 
fellow  and  made  him  jump  toward  the 
front  again  for  fear  of  getting  the 
huge  dirk  between  his  shoulders.  And 
92 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 


so  the  fight  went  on  for  several  min- 
utes. 

Then  Harrison  laughed  out  sud- 
denly, a  ringing  laugh,  which  echoed 
through  the  house  above  the  sound  of 
clashing  steel,  and  panting  breaths, 
and  muttered  curses. 

"  It  is  time,"  he  said.  "  Let  us  fin- 
ish." He  made  a  quick  forward  stroke 
with  his  sword,  so  deadly  swift  that 
the  blade  sung  with  a  shrill  whistling 
note;  and  one  of  the  two  henchmen 
of  Andrew  Hogg  went  down  with  his 
throat  cut,  his  head  being  nearly  sev- 
ered from  his  body. 

"Richard!"  said  Harrison  softly, 
and  though  he  smiled,  his  eyes  were 
terrible  to  see.  Another  lightning 
stroke  pierced  the  other  ruffian  through 
the  heart,  and  Andrew,  now  mad  with 

93 


*#,] 


HELL- FIRE     HARRISON 


fear,  faced  Harrison  alone.  The  Vir- 
ginian dropped  the  point  of  his  sword 
and  stepped  back. 

"  Hogg,"  said  he,  "  I  came  to  kill 
you;  but  I  found  Dicky  on  the  same 
errand,  and  his  rights  to  be  your  execu- 
tioner seem  to  precede  mine.  You 
made  him  fatherless  and  motherless, 
and  the  crawling,  staggering  thing  he 
is,  while  you  have  only  made  me  child- 
less.  Dicky  shall  kill  you,  Hogg,  but 
I  will  put  out  your  eyes  first.  On 
guard!"  And  they  crossed  swords 
again. 

It  was  soon  over.  Two  dextrous 
strokes  of  the  razor-edged  blade,  and 
the  point  was  slashed  through  each  of 
Andrew's  eyes;  he  dropped  his  sword 
and  clapped  his  hands  to  his  bloody 
face,  howling  with  pain  and  fright; 

94 


and  Dicky,  laughing  as  fiends  may 
laugh  in  hell,  lurched  forward,  and 
driving  his  great  knife  through  the 
black  villain's  heart,  left  it  sticking 
there. 

They  left  the  house  without  a  word, 
and  walked  out  to  the  highway.  There 
Harrison  paused,  and  said  quietly: 

"  Is  my  son's  body  at  Lady  Alicia's, 
Dicky?  " 

"  A'  bain't  no  boady,"  said  Dicky. 
"  A's  livin'." 

"  What?  "  cried  Harrison  sharply, 
startled  for  once  out  of  his  composure. 

"  I  zaw  Hogg  run  un  through,  right 
yonder,"  said  Dicky,  "  while  t'others 
held  un  fast;  a'  stood  straight,  an'  spit 
in  t'  hog's  face  when  swourd  went 
home.  I  picked  un  oop,  an'  carried 
un  vor  dead  to  Farnham  Court;    but 

95 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 

t'  leech  says  un'll  live,  if  has  good 
nursin'." 

"  Now,  by  all  the  gods!"  cried 
Harrison.  "  But  this  is  the  greatest 
news  man  ever  told  to  man!  Good 
nursing,  sayest  thou?  Why,  that  he 
shall  have,  Dicky." 

"Zo  Mistress  Mary  zaid,"  said 
Dicky. 

11  What?  " 

"  I  went  to  t'  farm  at  midnight," 
said  the  cripple,  "  an'  to  her  bedroom 
door,  an'  told  her.  ( Why  then/  says 
she,  '  good  nursin'  he  shall  have/  an' 
packed  her  portmantle.  Sladden 
would  stop  her,  an'  says  she,  c  Dicky, 
kill  him.'  Zo  I  pulled  dirk,  an'  Slad- 
den run." 

"  Go  on,  thou  bravest-hearted  knight 
that  ever  stood  by  lady  in  distress," 
96 


Y 

5 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 

said  Harrison.  "  What  happened 
next?  " 

"  When  we  coom  to  t'  Court,"  said 
Dicky,  "  t'  Lady  was  for  not  lettin' 
maid  stay;  an'  Mistress  Mary  zaid  to 
me,  '  Dicky,  go  bring  Parson  Slade 
to  marry  me  to  Richard;  we'll  zee 
who  keeps  wife  from  her  husband.' 
Zo  I  browt  parson,  and  a3  married 
un." 

"  Now,  by  all  the  gods!  "  said  Har- 
rison again,  but  very  softly  now,  and 
somewhat  as  if  he  choked,  "  but  here's 
a  lady!  A  right  noble  lady,  on  my 
soul!  And  what  more,  prince  of  story- 
tellers?" 

"  No  more,"  said  Dicky.  "  I  came 
here  to  wait  for  'ee.  An'  now  t5  hog  is 
dead  I've  nowt  to  stay  here  for;  will 
'ee  tak  me  to  Ferginny?  " 

97 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 


"  Will  I  take  you?  Ay,  that  I  will. 
Whither  I  go,  thou  shalt  go,  and  my 
people  shall  be  thy  people;  unfortu- 
nately for  the  rest  of  the  quotation,  I 
have  no  God,  but  if  ever  I  find  one, 
he  shall  be  thy  God  also,  Dicky." 

"  Doan't  woant  no  Goad,"  said 
Dicky  Dirk. 

Lady  Alicia,  still  watching  with  her 
loaded  musket,  greeted  Harrison  with 
joyful  relief  when,  serene  and  smiling, 
he  came  a  half  hour  later  to  Farnham 
Court. 

"  All's  well,"  said  she,  "  now  that 
you  are  here  to  protect  your  own.  I 
have  been  in  dreadful  fear  lest  Hogg 
should  come  with  his  bloody  three  to 
finish  his  work  and  carry  your  daugh- 
ter away." 

"  Hogg  and  his  bloody  three  will 


trouble  no  one  more,  Alicia,"  said  he, 
"  for  Dicky  Dirk  and  I  have  been  to 
Hackthorn  Hall." 

She  was  silent  in  awe  for  a  moment, 
;>  well  knowing  what  his  words  implied. 

"  What  word  did  you  send  the  King, 
when  you  turned  back?  "  she  asked. 
He  laughed  at  this,  truly  a  woman's 
question  at  such  a  time. 

"  I  sent  him  word,"  said  he,  "  that 
he  might  go  to  Hell!"  Lady  Alicia, 
trained  to  the  greatest  reverence  for 
Royalty,  cried  out  in  horror. 

"  Do  not  be  alarmed,  my  dear  Ali- 
cia," said  Harrison,  taking  snuff. 
"  Now  that  things  have  turned  out  so 
much  better  than  I  thought,  I  shall 
not  insist  upon  his  going;  I  will  write 
Wycherly  this  morning  to  tell  him  so. 
And  now,  how  is  Richard?" 

99 


^Zr% 


HELL-FIRE     HARRISON 

"  Doing  well,  and  happy  in  the  love 
of  his  dear  young  wife;   thank  God!  " 

"  Why  then,"  said  Hell-fire  Harri- 
son, "  it  will  be  the  first  time  in  forty 
years,  but  I  think,  Alicia,  that  I  shall 
have  to  say  Amen!  " 


THE  END. 


TOO 


Commencement  Baps 

By   Virginia  Church 

i2mo,  cloth  decorative,  illustrated     .        .         $1.50 

Mrs.  Church's  new  college  story  is  based  on  the 
well-known  play  of  the  same  name  which  had  such 
a  successful  run  last  season,  and  it  is  hard  to  imag- 
ine a  more  truthful  picture  of  college  life  than  is 
here  depicted.  It  all  happens  at  that  most  interesting 
time  of  the  college  girl's  career,  Commencement  Sea- 
son, which  brings  with  it  a  round  of  receptions,  par- 
ties, coaching  expeditions,  Junior  Proms,  fudge 
feasts,  and  the  happiest  and  merriest  of  times. 

There  are  girls  and  girls,  scores  of  them,  all 
through  the  tale,  and  all  interesting  ones,  too  — 
there's  Kate  Wells,  the  most  popular  girl  of  the  col- 
lege, and  Lorraine,  her  chum,  quiet,  dignified  and 
sweet,  who  plays  the  role  of  an  indulgent  sister. 
And  there's  the  twins,  who  really  ought  not  to  be 
twins  at  all,  their  tastes  are  so  unlike,  one  preferring 
men,  and  the  other  sports ;  not  to  mention  the  slangy, 
masculine  girl,  who  goes  in  for  athletics,  and  the 
dainty  little  college  flirt. 

Of  course  there  couldn't  be  any  plot  if  a  man  were 
not  allowed  to  enter  in,  and  as  Penny,  the  roly-poly 
Freshman,  observes  — "  It's  nice  to  see  trousers 
around  sometimes,  anyway "  — ■  some  mighty  nice 
chaps  are  allowed  to  enter  on  the  scene.  Then  there 
are  three  distinct  love  affairs  in  the  plot,  all  in  ad- 
mirable contrast. 

Girls  who  are  in  school  and  college  will  find  in 
"  Commencement  Days  "  types  that  they  have  known 
among  their  own  classmates,  graduates  will  pick  out 
old  friends,  and  older  women,  whose  school  days  are 
among  their  sweetest  memories,  will  find  that  girl 
nature  is  much  the  same  in  this  day  as  it  was  in 
theirs. 


'tOyy* 


%ty  Court  of  Xucifer 


By    Nathan    Gallizier,    author    of    "  Castel    del 
Monte,"  "  The  Sorceress  of  Rome,"  etc. 

With  four  illustrations  in  full  color  by  the  Kin- 
neys $1.50 

Mr.  Gallizier's  new  book,  completing  his  Italian 
trilogy,  of  which  "  Castel  del  Monte "  and  "  The 
Sorceress  of  Rome  "  have  already  been  published,  is 
a  brilliant  historical  romance  woven  around  the  fa- 
mous and  notorious  Borgia  family,  the  main  theme 
touching  upon  the  perfidy  and  cunning  of  Cesare 
Borgia,  that  brilliant  and  unprincipled  son  of  Pope 
Alexander  VI. 

Mr.  Gallizier  has  chosen  a  most  interesting  field 
for  his  historical  romances,  and  in  his  new  book  he 
tells  with  vividness  and  daring  of  the  glamour  and 
stir  of  the  old  days  in  Rome,  the  corruption  of 
church  and  state,  and  the  subsequent  downfall  of 
"  The  Imperial  City." 

Of  "Castel  del  Monte"  and  "The  Sorceress  of 
Rome  "  the  critics  have  written  as  follows  : 

"The  author  displays  many  of  the  talents  that 
made  Scott  famous."  —  The  Index. 

"There  is  color,  there  is  sumptuous  word-painting 
in  these  pages ;  the  action  is  terrific  at  times ;  vivid- 
ness and  life  are  in  every  part;  and  brilliant  de- 
scriptions entertain  the  reader  and  give  a  singular 
fascination  to  the  tale."  —  Grand  Rapids  Herald. 


• 


^tlmenp  of  tije  #rcf)ato 

By  L.  M.  Montgomery,  author  of  the  "  delightful 
and    irresistible   Anne   books,"    "  Anne   of   Green 
Gables  "  and  "  Anne  of  Avonlea." 
Cloth  decorative,  with  four  full-page  illustrations 
in  color  by  George  Gibbs  .        .         .         .        $1.25 
Miss  Montgomery's  new  book  —  a  charming  love 
story  —  has  again  for  its  setting  the  author's  favor- 
ite   Prince   Edward   Island.      Kilmeny    Gordon,    the 
heroine,  is  certain  to  prove  as  dear  to  the  hearts  of 
old  and  young  readers  alike  as  did  her  predecessor, 
Anne   Shirley,   "the   dearest  and  most   moving  and 
delightful  child  since  the  immortal  Alice,"  according 
to  Mark  Twain. 

The  following  quotation  from  one  of  the  early 
chapters  will  be  sufficient  to  give  a  clue  to  the  story. 
"  Under  the  big  branching  white  lilac  tree  was  an 
old,  sagging  wooden  bench;  and  on  this  bench  a  girl 
was  sitting  playing  an  old  brown  violin.  Her  eyes 
were  on  the  faraway  horizon  and  she  did  not  see 
Eric.  For  a  few  moments  he  stood  there  and  looked 
at  her.  ...  To  his  latest  day  Eric  Marshall  will  be 
able  to  recall  vividly  that  scene  as  he  saw  it  then  — 
the  velvet  darkness  of  the  spruce  woods,  the  over- 
arching sky  of  soft  brilliance,  the  swaying  lilac  blos- 
soms —  and  amid  it  all  the  girl  on  the  old  bench  with 
the  violin  under  her  chin.  .  .  .  Her  loveliness  was 
so  perfect  that  his  breath  almost  went  from  him  in 
his  first  delight  of  it.  Her  face  was  oval,  marked  in 
every  cameo-like  line  and  feature  with  that  expres- 
sion of  absolute  flawless  purity  found  in  the  angels 
and  Madonnas  of  old  paintings  —  a  purity  that  held 
in  it  no  faintest  stain  of  earthliness.  .  .  .  There  was 
something  very  child-like  about  her  and  yet  at  least 
eighteen  sweet  years  must  have  gone  to  the  making 
of  her." 


E  Salter  of  Virginia 

By  G.   E.  Theodore  Roberts,  author  of   "  Hem- 
ming, the  Adventurer,"  "  Captain  Love,"  etc. 
i2mo,    cloth    decorative,    illustrated    by    Louis    D. 

Gowing $150 

Theodore  Roberts  is  one  of  the  younger  writers  of 
to-day  whom  the  critics  have  been  watching  with  in- 
terest, as  he  is  a  born  story-teller  and  the  possessor 
of  an  unusually  fine  literary  style. 

The  scene  of  his  present  story  is  laid  in  the  old 
chivalric  days  of  colonial  Virginia,  although  part  of 
the  action  takes  place  upon  the  high  seas,  and  the 
scene  shifts  for  a  short  time  to  England,  Spain  and 
to  the  unsettled  parts  of  North  America. 

The  story  develops  the  boy  and  girl  love  affair  of 
the  Cavalier  and  a  typical  Southern  beauty,  Isobel 
Dariza.  The  characters  are  admirably  drawn  and  the 
reader  follows  with  breathless  interest  the  adventures 
of  Francis  Drurie,  the  Cavalier,  through  his  stirring 
adventures  on  land  and  sea. 

"  A  Cavalier  of  Virginia  "  is  easily  the  finest  story 
Mr.  Roberts  has  yet  given  the  reading  public,  and 
is  assured  great  popular  success. 

"  The  narrative  is  replete,  from  first  to  last,  with  thrilling  situations, 
deadly  dangers  encountered  and  overcome,  intrigue,  treachery,  the  sound 
of  battle,  the  song  of  the  sea,  and  then  peace  and  love."—  Wilming- 
ton Every  Evening. 

"  It   is   a  story  of  engrossing  interest  and  cleverly  told."  —  San 


Cfce  3Leao  of  honour 

By  Norval  Richardson 

i2mo,  cloth  decorative,  illustrated  .         $1.50 

If  this  book  is  a  criterion  of  what  is  to  come,  Mr. 
Richardson  will  take  high  rank  among  American 
novelists.  His  writing  has  a  beauty  of  phrase,  a 
poetry  of  expression  that  is  unusual,  and  joined  to 
this  is  directness  and  power. 

His  plot  is  well  conceived  and  well  executed  and 
his  characters  are  living,  breathing  men  and  women 
whose  fortunes  are  followed  with  ever  deepening  in- 
terest. 

The  scene  of  the  story  is  Natchez,  Miss.,  in  about 
1830,  and  the  central  character  is  Sargent  Everett,  a 
young  lawyer,  in  whom  many  will  recognize  a  por- 
trait of  the  Hon.  Sargent  Prentiss.  Indeed  many  of 
the  incidents  of  the  story  are  drawn  from  the  early 
life  of  that  prominent  statesman  and  silver-tongued 
orator. 

Young  Everett's  struggle  for  recognition,  his  final 
success,  his  brilliant  progress  in  his  profession,  are 
matters  of  absorbing  interest.  His  love,  his  hope, 
his  struggle  with  self,  his  temptation,  and  his  renun- 
ciation, and  always  his  steadfast  following  of  the 
lead  of  honor,  form  the  theme  of  this  remarkable 
novel. 


fflV  Heart  an*  £tepfmnte 

By    Reginald    Wright    Kauffman,    author    of 
"  Miss  Frances  Baird,  Detective,"  etc. 
Cloth  decorative,  illustrated  with  two  portraits  in 
color  by  A.  G.  Learned      .        .        .         .        $1.25 

A  goodly  tale  of  love  and  mystery,  with  the  scenes 
for  the  most  part  laid  in  New  York  and  Paris,  deal- 
ing with  the  intrigues  and  causes  celebres  of  the 
Austrian  Court.  The  story  is  woven  around  the 
Countess  Stephanie,  a  Polish  conspirator,  and  con- 
tinues also  the  stirring  career  of  the  American  girl, 
Frances  'Baird,  the  heroine  of  Mr.  Kauffman's  de- 
tective story  of  that  name.  A  novel  to  delight  the 
heart  of  every  lover  of  fiction. 

"  The  story  goes  with  a  fascinating  rush  which  is  most  entertaining, 
and  so  thoroughly  imbued  is  the  reader  with  the  spirit  of  the  plot  that 
he  is  almost  sorry  to  end  the  mystery  with  the  last  chapter,  even  if  the 
ending  is  a  most  happy  and  logical  one."  —  Boston  Globe. 

"  Parisian  life  in  Bohemian  circles  is  picturesquely  described,  and 
probably  there  has  never  been  a  better  word  painting  of  restaurant 
gaiety  than  Mr.  Kauffman's  account  of  the  famous  '  Abbaye  '  with 
its  brilliant  gathering."  —  Philadelphia  Item. 

"  This  story  is  remarkable  for  its  color  and  momentum."  —  Chicago 
Daily  News. 

"  A  lively  story,  crowded  with  incident  and  leaving  the  reader  to  a 
consideration  of  various  dramatic  happenings  both  in  this  country  and 
in  Europe,  is  told  by  Mr.  Kauffman  in  his  story.  The  tale  will  hold 
the  attention  closely.  It  is  quite  the  best  thing  that  Mr.  Kauffman 
has  yet  done." —  Observer,  Utica,  N.  Y. 


\ 


HELL-FIRE 
HARRISON 


W 


M.111785 


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